Improvement in machined for making buttons



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Laarne ENT FICE,

WILLIAM OF CINCINNATI, OIII.

VlMPROVEllllENT IYN MACHINES 'FQR MAKING BUTTONS.

Specification forming part of LettcrsPatent No. 549,234, Vdated October 30, 1866.

State of Ohio, have invented a new andusef ful Machine for Manufacturing Buttons; and n I hereby declare the following` to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inaking a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a machine for lthe automatic manufacture of cloth and other buttons, the said machine comprisinga series of consecutively-acting dies and counter-dies, adapted to coact in their appointed order with a peculiarly formed and operated traveling bed, die, or swagestock.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows ,the traveling die detached. Fig. 3 is an axial Section of the operative parts.

Diagrams I to VIII, inclusive, represent successive stages in the formation of .abuttoin Ais a horizontal bed, perforated (a)A at equal distances and supporting a suit of counter-dies, B C D E F G, which counter-dies may be secured in place by meansv of clips, or in any other suitable way.

The bed A is providedon its under side with anges I I', which afford tracks for the support and guidance of my traveling die, bed, or sWage-stock J. Rising from the bed A are standards K K', connected by rails L L.

The rails L are traversed at equal distances by a series of vertical shafts or mandrels, M, said mandrels being secured by suitable boxes Nin line with the counter-dies B C D E F G. The mandrels M contain at their lower ends screw-threaded or other sockets to receive the corresponding shanks of a series of diesor punches, O P Q R S T, formed to act in conjunction With the aforesaid counter-dies in manner hereinafter explained.

U is a shaft journaled horizontally in the standards K K', and furnished with segment- Wheels V V', adapted to gear alternately in pinions W W' upon two shafts, X X', which are journaled horizontally and in line within the standards K, K', and K".

The shafts X X' are armed with a series of cams, b c d e fg, of such form and position as to act consecutively and in the order enumerated to depress the series of mandrels M, each cam completingits act-ioninone-third of a revolution ofthe shaft X or X', as the casemay be, so lthat the successive revolutions of thetwo shafts X and AX'cresult in bringing the entire series of cams into action.

The mandrels M are retracted and held-firinly up to the cams by mea-ns of springs W.

Mytravelingdie J hasears j, which occupy the flanges or guides I I'. It has also a central-aperture, j', which, during the operation of making the button, is closed by -a plug, Z, which plug, during said operation,'is upheld by a ledge, A'.

Depending from the bedA is a sloping projection, A", against which theyarm z,iinping ing at the end of the stroke, acts-towithdraw the plug and to liberate the nished'button. The area of the aperture 7" ispartially con-v tracted by a series of jaws, h, which a-refclosed between the second and thirdsets of punches, and again opened'between the fourthandifth sets of punches, by impinging against stops.

The traveling die is propelled intermitently from station ,to station, and held at rest at each st-ation in succession, by the following means: Projectingfrom the said die is a bar, 1, having a series of ratchcts or shoulders,2. 3 is aftappet whicl1,immediatelysubsequent to each operation yof the dies', is partially rotated so as to impinge successively against the several shoulders 2 and to propel the die J to the next station. The motion of this tappet is obtained from a rod, 4, operated by a i cam, 5, upon the upper shaft, and retracted by a spring, 6.

7 is a catch, which, being pressed upward against the under side of the bed A bya spring, 8, engages in notches 9 therein, so as, after each advancement of the traveling die J to arrest the same at the proper station. After passing the last station a stud, 10, on the catch 7 strikes a sloping projection, 11, from the bed A, so as to throw the stud 10 past a kink, 13, in the spring, and to hold the catch 7 clear of the notches 9 and enable the retraction of the traveling die J by a Weight, 14, or its equivalent. On reaching the back end of its stroke the stud 12 strikes another sloping projection, 15. The traveling die is thus propelled from die to die by an intermittent motion until a button has been completed, when the release of the catch 7 operates to liberate the said 

